ArcGIS Enterprise in the cloud

Connect to ArcGIS Server on AWS from ArcGIS Desktop

In this topic

ArcGIS Desktop users can connect to an ArcGIS Server site on AWS and work with the services running on the site. Similarly, ArcGIS Desktop users can connect to a portal on AWS and work with layers from the portal.

Note:

Instructions provided here do not include connecting to a geodatabase or other data sources on AWS, as this is not an advisable workflow, primarily for performance reasons. When working directly with data sources (as opposed to accessing data through a web service), your client and data should be co-located.

Connect from ArcMap

Connect from an on-premises installation of ArcMap to your ArcGIS Server site or portal running on Amazon Web Services to view and work with your services or layers in the desktop environment.

Connect to ArcGIS Server on AWS

Follow these steps to connect to an ArcGIS Server site on AWS to work with services:

Start ArcMap on your local machine.

In the Catalog tree, expand the GIS Servers node.

Double-click Add ArcGIS Server.

Choose Use GIS services and click Next.

For Server URL, type the URL of the ArcGIS Server site you want to connect to.

If the ArcGIS Server site was created using ArcGIS Server Cloud Builder on Amazon Web Services, the URL takes the format http://<Elastic Load Balancer address>:6080/arcgis. One way to get the URL is to display the My Sites list in Cloud Builder and click the name of your site. Select and copy the Manager URL, paste it in the Server URL text box, and delete /manager/ from the end.

If the ArcGIS Server site was created through the AWS Management Console, and you configured an Elastic Load Balancer for the site, the URL will also be in the format http://<Elastic Load Balancer address>:6080/arcgis.

If the ArcGIS Server site was created using one of the Esri CloudFormation templates, the URL will vary depending on the template used. Some templates create an Elastic Load Balancer for the site, and some use ArcGIS Web Adaptor. If ArcGIS Web Adaptor is used, the URL format will be http://<ArcGIS Server machine name>:6080/arcgis, as the web adaptor runs on the same machine as ArcGIS Server.

Provide the user name and password of an account that has at least user-level privileges to the ArcGIS Server site.

Remember that if the ArcGIS Server site is federated with a portal, you must provide credentials for a member of the portal organization.

If you don't want to provide a user name and password each time you connect, check Save Username/Password.

Click Finish.

Your connection appears in the GIS Servers node in the Catalog tree.

You can rename your connection by right-clicking the connection in the Catalog tree, choosing Rename, typing a new name, and pressing Enter.

Connect to Portal for ArcGIS on AWS

Connecting from ArcMap to a portal on AWS is the same as connecting to a portal on premises. See Manage portal connections in the ArcMap help for instructions.

Connect from ArcGIS Pro

Connect to ArcGIS Server on AWS

Start ArcGIS Pro on your local machine and open a project.

Click the Insert tab and choose New ArcGIS Server from the Connections drop-down list in the Project group.

The Add ArcGIS Server User Connection dialog box appears.

For the Server URL, type the URL of the ArcGIS Server site you want to connect to.

If the ArcGIS Server site was created using ArcGIS Server Cloud Builder on Amazon Web Services, the URL takes the format http://<Elastic Load Balancer address>:6080/arcgis/services. One way to get the URL is to display the My Sites list in Cloud Builder and click the name of your site. Select and copy the Manager URL, paste it in the Server URL text box, and delete manager/ from the end and type services in its place.

If the ArcGIS Server site was created through the AWS Management Console, and you configured an Elastic Load Balancer for the site, the URL will also be in the format http://<Elastic Load Balancer address>:6080/arcgis/services.

If the ArcGIS Server site was created using one of the Esri CloudFormation templates, the URL will vary depending on the template used. Some templates create an Elastic Load Balancer for the site, and some use ArcGIS Web Adaptor. If ArcGIS Web Adaptor is used, the URL format will be http://<ArcGIS Server machine name>:6080/arcgis/services, as the web adaptor runs on the same machine as ArcGIS Server.

Provide credentials for a user account that has at least user-level privileges to the ArcGIS Server site.

If you are connecting to a stand-alone ArcGIS Server site, provide the user name and password of an ArcGIS Server user. If you don't want to provide a user name and password each time you connect, check Save Username/Password. Click OK.

If the ArcGIS Server site is federated with a portal, click OK. If your portal uses Integrated Windows Authentication, you will be logged in using your Windows login; otherwise, you will be prompted to provide a portal user name and credentials. Type your credentials and click Sign In.

The ArcGIS Server connection appears under the Servers node in the Catalog pane.

You can rename the connection by right-clicking it, clicking Rename, typing a new name, and pressing Enter.